479 
THE INFLUENCE OF TEMPERATURE UPON 
THE BITING OF MOSQUITOES. 
By F. M. HOWLETT, B.A., F.E.S. 
Christ’s College, Cambridge. Second Imperial Entomologist, India. 
(With 4 Text-Figures.) 
The fact that no inquiry seems to have been made into a matter 
of some general interest, namely, the reasons which, apart from “hunger,” 
induce mosquitoes to bite, may serve as an excuse for presenting the 
preliminary results of an investigation which has had, for the time being, 
to be discontinued. The following observations on mosquitoes were 
made at the Pusa Research Institute. 
Among common Indian mosquitoes Stegomyia scutellaris is one of 
the most fearless biters. Five or six females of this species (unfed) 
were placed in a wire breeding-cage, and into the cage was introduced a 
glass slide on which were several drops of fresh blood forming a little 
pool about the size of a shilling. They seemed to take no notice of the 
blood. Other drops of blood were presented to single mosquitoes in 
tubes, with a like result. 
A test-tube half-full of perspiration taken direct from the skin was 
placed on a low shelf in a room where Gidex fatigans and S. scutellaris 
were present in some numbers : the time was late afternoon and the 
mosquitoes were biting, but an hour’s watch gave no indication that they 
were particularly attracted by the contents of the test-tube. On the 
following day a small glass beaker was filled with perspiration wrung 
from a cotton shirt, and was placed on the same shelf, where it was left 
for three days. It was inspected at fairly frequent intervals, especially 
in the afternoon and evening : one or two G. fatigans were seen to 
suck moisture from the edge of the beaker, but this they will do with 
pure water, and apart from this nothing was noticed which would 
